Seed Yourself

I was at a conference in late February focused on racial equity in philanthropy. To say my mind was blown is an understatement. I am still trying to process all I learned (and unlearned) during the 48 hours I was in attendance. I've got pages and pages of notes, but one little phrase has stuck with me the most these last 90+ days.

One on the plenary speakers mentioned that white men won't change the systems that oppress others because they don't want to cede their power. To cede is simply defined as to give up. This tiny little word and all it implied just didn't sit well with me. Not because the actions (or inaction) are untrue, but because the theory is untrue.

In physics we are taught that matter is neither created nor destroyed only changed via the Law of Conservation of Mass. So, our physical world has finite resources, which we know to be true. However, we take this knowing and misapply it to everything. We take this physical law and try to apply it to ideas and feelings.

We have come to believe that love, money, happiness, knowledge and power are finite resources. And I'm here to tell you this is utter BS. The belief that to lift others up I have to cede myself is utter BS. This is a belief we have been taught to tear us apart because when we are apart we are easier to control.

Instead, we need to relearn what we know. We need to remember that love is infinite, happiness is infinite, knowledge is infinite, money (because it is a freaking social construct) is infinite. We need to live in the light of abundance instead of the fear of scarcity.

And here's the best part... for me to feel more love, more prosperity, more wisdom, more happiness I must give it to others. I must SEED myself. When I give the gift of my love, my money, my knowledge, my happiness, my power to another I am receiving this gift back as well. As opposed to giving up myself, I am rooting myself.

So, how the hell do we move from scarcity to abundance? From CEDE to SEED? I find the best place to start is with love. I learned the moment my first child was born that love is limitless, and for me it is the easiest thing to give. Start with writing a letter to a colleague, dropping off some freshly picked flowers to a friend, writing a review of your favorite independent retailer. Do something simple to express your love and watch it multiply. Once you've mastered love, move to something trickier. Become a mentor, an activist, an angel investor, a teacher, a philanthropist. I promise once you start seeding yourself you won't ever stop.